Matt Bacon

Amy... I'd like to add my deepest condolences. Your Dad was a vital part of what brought us all together here, and many would say the lynch-pin of what KEPT us all together. I never met him, but we exchanged a bunch of messages about a wooden tram he'd built that happened to have once upon a time run by where I lived 30 years ago in the UK (the real tram ran more like 80 years ago), and that was the measure of the man for me. He always cared, always was interested, and shared so much with us. He will always be missed. Given the quality of what he shared in his books, I wouldn't restrict yourself to MODEL car museums. Get in touch with the Henry Ford Museum, the Automotive Hall of Fame or the Gilmore, and see if they'd be interested in taking on Harry's legacy. He was creating a history of the automobile that just happened to be rendered in beautifully-built models, and one of them should surely give that collection a proud home. Once again, I'm so sorry for your loss, which we all share to a lesser extent. With best regards, Matt

Just a thought, but if you have any clear easter egg packaging left, there's almost always a double curvature somewhere on an egg shape that will allow you to cut out light covers that fit! All the best, M.

Fantastic job... I have one of these to dig into. It's such a beautiful car, and you've done it justice. Are those the kit wheels, and if so, care to share how you made them look so good? ;-P bestest, M.

All the window and gutter "chrome" on here is done with a Molotow pen. As is all this brightwork on the interior: Whatever they were originally intended for, the pens exist, and my word they make some of the things we need to do a lot easier... ;-P (I have a few rattle cans that were probably designed for graffiti artists.... and they rock, too... really dense colour from a single coat, quick to dry, tough as all hell...) best, M.

Hi, all... I think this is what I was inspired by: I had the scheme in mind since the yellow failed, so I really can't remember what got me started... bestest, M.

Thanks very much, all! The wheels are Renaissance Campagnolos. I think they are intended for the spider version: there are a fair few pictures of a pale yellow spider wearing a set. I think that it may have been in the Thomas Crown Affair, or have belonged to Faye Dunaway at some point... Now I just need to decide what to do next. My absence from the bench hasn't slowed down my purchasing: if anything, the opposite! best, M.

Well, this marks a bit of a milestone: first completion in a more or less a year, since I started a new job which takes me away from home a lot. This really is a return from the shelf of doom. I originally painted the body yellow 3-4 years ago, only to find that the clear coat had dragged the red dye from the body plastiic through the yellow layer, and tinted itself orange in all kinds of places. Laster year, I got hold of some IPA, and as a last ditch effort decided to try and strip the yellow and clear. After six months or so of soaking, I could get it off. I repainted the body silver, which I thought would resist dye leaking better... which it did, but not perfectly. You can still see a reddish tint around the base of the tail here and there. It's not so obvious in real life, thank goodness. I didn't take many WIP photos, but here are a few: Those Molotow Liquid Chrome Markers are AMAZING... If you've ever built one of the Italeri 250/275/365 series Ferraris you'll know exactly what to expect. Nice details, crisp mouldings, reasonably good fit. I wish the bonnet would close slightly better, but again it's not so visible in the cabinet! It feels good to have completed something after all this time, that's for sure... best, M.

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10460288 Pre-ordered, of course... I'm amazed it's taken so long... and that it wasn't RoG who did it! best, M.

Build and finish is absolutely spot on, looks lovely. But I have to disagree on the stance. Way too low and looks unrealistic to me -- it doesn't even have a driver on board to load up the suspension a bit... This is what a real one looks like: The tyres aren't rubbing on the arches, and you might actually be able to drive it over the odd bump... YMMV, obviously! best, M.

That's exactly what they do over at Britmodeller, where I pay up. The good thing is that it's a "pay what you feel" scheme, so it doesn't exclude members on low incomes. Personally, I'm happy to pay about half what a magazine subscription would cost over here -- which is about what my Hemmings Sports and Exotics (sniff...) sub cost. best, M.

Nah... Hawk would've been driving a Bentley Continental GT Supersports. With a very heavy sports bag in the trunk... best, M.

..and that's not the only thing "they didn't all have..." ;-P best, M.

Now that's a good-looking car, though it's probably better with the top down... ;-P best, M.

A true motoring legend, and a throughly decent chap as well. I've never understood why he wasn't SIR John... RIP. best, M.

Well, if it's a Jaguar E-Type you're looking to paint, then you probably want to get close to the BRG that Jaguar used for the E-Type: http://www.xkedata.com/gallery/results/?exterior=british+racing+green Oddly, most Jaguar racing cars (C-Type, D-Type, XKSS and even the XJ-13) were actually painted a much darker shade of green (when they were green at all, obviously) best, M.

A bit of "car art"... best, M.

Of you like classic, mostly European cars, this is a must-do show if you can get there. I happened to be working in Paris last week, and the show opens late on a Wednesday night... I guess this one sets the tone... ...and this is what it's all about: some of the cars consigned to the Artcurial auction This one looks a little familiar ;-P You don't see one of THESE every day Among all those desirable cars, this is the one I'd REALLY love to own... I'm sure I've seen one of these somewhere before... Unique Ferry Porsche 928 "estate" There was _some_ representation from over the pond... More here: https://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/Cars/Retromobile best, M.

Something that we can all do, if we haven't got it already: http://a.co/ciEUaPI It's a fantastic showcase of Harry's models and design talent, , and since it's on print to order, you have to hope he's getting a good share of the money. Share the link with anyone who's interested in car models or auto history... best, M.

When you think about it, £300K for a honest to goodness 90s supercar (about 1/3 of what you'd pay for a 959 or F40) that's also the essence of Jaguar, seems like a steal... I'd much rather have one than pay twice as much for an XJR-15! Though on my real budget, an XK-R for £9k is the only remotely credible option... best, M.

A great build, Jurgen... every now and then, you have to build an "almost perfect" kit, because you love the car, and you don't have the time or inclination to battle a mule into submission. I like a challenging build very now and then, but I guess for me, modelling is about a balance between enjoying the "challenging" experience and placing something I want in the cabinet (not so much that I'd buy a die-cast, mind you). The XJ220 is a storied and good looking beast, though, so I wanted one, and I paid my dues making my life harder by "plumbing" the engine bay, which is the only place the Tamiya kit is really lacking. Put it in your cabinet, though, and you can really see how cool (and how BIG) the thing is! It's a couple of years since I built mine, but it was nice to see this on sale: http://www.simonfurlonger.co.uk/docs2/cars/EuVFuZAlllvBssXnvY.shtml which at least confirmed the colour! (Is yours silver, or is the pale violet colour _I_see in the images a reflection of real life?) Fabulous Jag best, M.

Close, I think, but no cigar this time! best, M.

Well, that's me told... Just to speak up (briefly) for what I do, marketing isn't (or shouldn't be) advertising or sales. Nor is it just about asking customers what they want and building it, no matter how it turds out (see what I did there...?). Marketing should be about understanding what matters to customers, what problems the are trying to solve, or what needs they have that need meeting, and creatively, with passion, coming up with products that meet those needs. To take an example close to what we do, WingNut Wings is NOT only a product of passion. They looked at the WW1 modelling fraternity, which was previously served by small-scale kits, vintage Auroras, and a few 1/32 kits from Roden, mostly, and figured out that the kind of people who would model WW1 aircraft would want large scales (1/32), state of the art, made with love, and presented with a certain style...and actually weren't too bothered about the price, because the value per building hour was high. Add to that a USP in the shape of Peter Jackson, his 1:1 collection, replica chops, and Weta Workshop and you're onto a winner. On a different but 1:1 angle, the original Mustang was ENTIRELY a marketing-led product, driven by executive corridor guys, and their secretary, telling "engineering" what they could sell... Don't knock marketing (to death, anyway). If you've ever sat down with some customers, heard what they think they want, and thought "I could do that, but it would be better if...", then you've done marketing! bestest, M.

Great job... and I know how challenging it is! Very nice colour combination, and it is such an achingly stylish car to have on the cabinet... Time to do the DB4 next? ;-P best, M.

Started good, but when I went back to work full-time in April, it went down hill pretty quickly... ...must do better in 2017! best, M.

There's a 1/24 Aston Martin DB5 in the list as well... best, M.